Beyond the Sea
by SerenityFalconNormandy
Summary: Prompt: "I won't lose you too." Kolyat surprises Jehanne with a few things from Thane.


"Commander Shepard." Kolyat Krios gestured for Jehanne to take a seat at the table across from him. He slid a cup to her that could be either coffee or hot chocolate.

She lifted up the cup and inhaled the steam. Coffee, with just the right amount of cream and sugar. Thane must have told him how she liked it before-before. "Kolyat, please, call me Jehanne."

"Jehanne." The young drell rolled the syllables across his tongue, getting a feel for the foreign name. "Before my father died, I know you were asked to sign quite a few forms, did you read all of them?"

"Can't say I did," Jehanne swallowed the lump in her throat, as well as an over-large mouthful of hot coffee. She drew in a shaky breath and let it out in a long stream to keep in the tears that still snuck up on her sometimes.

"Oh." Kolyat blinked, first nictitating membranes then eyelids. "I see."

They sat in silence for a moment. "Was there something important in there? Something Thane needed me to see?"

"You could say that. I was surprised you hadn't brought it up at all, but now I understand." Kolyat pulled out an old-fashioned manila envelope. "My father asked for paper copies to be made for you."

Jehanne opened the envelope and pulled out the official-looking papers inside. She gasped mid-sip and started coughing out coffee as the words scrolled across the top page registered. She barely managed to choke out, "Marriage certificate?"

Kolyat nodded. "One of the forms you signed was a marriage license, it seems. My father left me some letters. He made many investments, had more credits stashed away than I could spend. The letters, they say that he wished for me to have someone to look up to, and that he wanted to make sure you were never in need financially. There was something I didn't quite understand, though, a message for you. Father wanted me to tell you that 'just in case things did not work out, you will not be alone, and you will have family'. Do you know what he's referring to?"

"Yeah."

The one word was all Jehanne could manage. How did one cope with the knowledge after the fact that they'd gone from bride, to newlywed, to widow in the span of less than half an hour? Jehanne didn't deal with emotions well on good days, let alone while grieving. Setting the certificate aside with care, she looked through the other paperwork. She had become Kolyat's emergency contact on C-Sec's records, with a note of condolence from Bailey written on the corner of the confirmation print-out. Bailey made her think of the attempted Cerberus coup, and Kaidan. Setting the rest aside, Jehanne tucked a lock of thick black hair behind her ear.

"I know what Thane was talking about. There's a man, Kaidan. He and I were… involved… on the Normandy SR-1. It was… I don't even know what our status was when I met your father, other than we weren't together. Kaidan got hurt protecting me on Mars, and your father watched over him while he was recovering in Huerta. I think… I think that the message is his way of encouraging me to give Kaidan and I another chance."

Kolyat hummed as he thought, something he'd inherited from Thane. "It seems so. And he hoped for us to be family and look out for one another, whether you and he work out or not."

He snapped up straight, head going back and eyes widening. An attack of drell solipsism was eerie to witness for those who never experienced them personally. " _Father sits at the table, hands clasped around his tea. The attacks are more frequent. His nightly visits grow shorter. Calm in his eyes, his voice. Acceptance in every action. The end will be soon. 'Kolyat' he says, 'I do not know when Siha will be back on the Citadel. When I am gone, let her wisdom guide you. I have failed many times as a father, but in this I am certain I am setting you on the right path. She will do well as your friend, as family if you let her."_

Jehanne waited for Kolyat to blink himself back to the present. A little dazed, he gripped his mug of tea like it was the only thing anchoring him in the moment. After a few shaky sips, she drifted her hand above one of his. "May I?"

Kolyat took her hand gently. "You are my step-mother, I believe you call it?"

"Heh, yeah. You don't have to call me 'Mom' or anything, just Jehanne works."

"Hmm." He smiled, a bit of Thane shining through, "May I call you _Siha_ like Father did?"

"If you want to." Jehanne took a sip of coffee.

After a sip of his tea, Kolyat asked, "Are you intending to speak to this Kaidan?"

"Yeah… I'm surprised you haven't heard of him. He's the other human Spectre."

Another surprised blink. Jehanne wondered if that was a habit he'd picked up from Irikah, or if it was one all his own. "That Kaidan?"

"Yep."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Do I need to call him Dad?"

Jehanne snorted into her cup, laughter bubbling out. "I think he'd have a heart attack if you did. Add to the gray hair, at least."

 _Not that it looks bad on him. Woof._

"I'm gonna have a hell of a fun time explaining this to him."

Kolyat sat back in his chair, a meditative hum coming out as he contemplated his tea. "If he doesn't understand what you had with Father, he does not understand you. If he doesn't understand you, he is not worthy of your time or affection."

Jehanne gave Kolyat a weak smile. "You may be right about that, kid. Just, be careful while I'm swanning around the galaxy putting out Reaper-sized fires, alright? I lost your father, I won't lose you too."


End file.
